AT THE last Executive meeting of 2020, leader John Halsall took time to reflect on events of the past “tumultuous” 12 months.
He opened his speech with a moment of reflection for those who passed away this year, including 189 residents who died after testing positive for coronavirus, the Forbury Three, and the sudden death of Wokingham Town councillor James Box.
Cllr Halsall spoke at length about coronavirus and the council’s plans to tackle it, including focusing on grassroots action on the wards most affected, and also making lateral (fast) tests available at Shute End to allow people to visit loved ones in selected care homes.
“We are adding peace of mind to people who want to visit the homes but who, understandably, want to minimise risk taking infection with them,” he said.
The council is looking to pilot an 18-month mental health scheme which, Cllr Halsall said, has been funded by a resident’s “generous donation”.
The scheme will be run by the charity MIND and will aim to help ensure early intervention and timely referrals.
“The pilot service will be inclusive, ethically and able to meet the wellbeing and mental needs of a diverse range of residents of the borough,” he said.
The local economy was full of new businesses prepared to invest in the borough, Cllr Halsall said, citing the planning application that has been lodged to build the largest purpose-built film studio in the UK at a site in Shinfield.
The Blackhall Studios would “bring major Hollywood film productions to the UK and create up to 3,000 jobs”.
Looking ahead, Cllr Halsall promised that there would be a balanced budget presented to the council next March.
“Our finances are strong and our finance team second-to-none,” he said.
And Cllr Halsall also expressed his delight the council had managed to convince the Government to think again over future housing numbers. In the summer, it was thought that every year Wokingham would have to accommodate 1,635 new homes. This has now become 759 – a decrease of 30 on the current numbers.
“This is as a direct result of all those who lobbied for a different approach among whom we were a major voice and I would like to thank all those councillors, our very dedicated MPs and residents, for their support,” he told the virtual chamber.
He concluded by saying: “Despite the ongoing pandemic, I believe we can look forward to 2021 with some cautious optimism: Covid-19 has not gone away and we must all remain careful, in particular over Christmas, but the foundations are in place for the borough to recovery strongly from this awful year.”
